PALLADIUM-CATALYZED HYDROSELENATION OF ALLENES WITH BENZENESELENOL

Palladium(II) acetate (Pd(OAc)(2)) catalyzes the addition of benzenese lenol to allenes, providing the corresponding vinylic selenides in goo d yields. In contrast to the oxygen-induced radical addition of PhSe11 to terminal allenes, which occurred at the terminal double bond prefe rentially, the present palladium-catalyzed hydroselenation to terminal allenes affords the internal adduct preferentially; thus, these two r eactions are complementary to each other for the synthesis of vinylic selenides. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.